Barnes activated from IL, Feduccia optioned

09/26/2024 07:59 PM

Barnes missed the minimum 10 days on the IL for his second left big toe fracture in the last five weeks.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers on Thursday activated backup catcher Austin Barnes from the injured list after missing nine games with a fracture in his left big toe.

This is not to be confused with the other fracture in his left big toe, which was in a different spot and caused Barnes to miss eight games at the end of August. In both cases, Barnes spent the minimum 10 days on the injured list.

The latest big toe fracture for Barnes occurred on September 15 in Atlanta, when Jorge Soler fouled a ball off Barnes' toe, which forced the catcher to exit the game.

In between IL stints, Barnes had seven hits in 18 at-bats (.389), including a double and three RBI in eight games. On the season, he's hitting .261/.327/.306 with an 84 wRC+ in 149 plate appearances.

Prior to Wednesday's game at Dodger Stadium, Barnes was working with strength coach Travis Smith and the training staff on various drills, including running the bases to test his toe.

Will Smith starts behind the plate for Thursday's series finale against the Padres, his 116th catching start of the season, five more than his previous career high.

Hunter Feduccia was optioned after his third stint in the majors in his first taste of big league life. The left-handed hitter had four hits in 12 at-bats plus a pair of walks. In this latest call-up, Feduccia had three hits in nine at-bats, including his first major league RBI on Sunday against the Rockies.

Feduccia in his three stints with the Dodgers was active in 21 games and played in five, starting three times behind the plate.